Brake lever construction



1938. H. s. JANDUS BRAKE LEVER CONSTRUCTION Original Filed 001;. 23,1936 V5 UP HERBERT S..JANDU5 Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2.128.298 BRAKE LEVER. CONSTRUCTION 111., a corporation ofMichigan Original application October 23, 1936, Serial No.

Divided and this application August 26, 1937, Serial No. 160,999

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to brake lever construction, and moreparticularly to brake lever construction for automotive vehicles.

An object of the present invention is to simplify and improve brakelever construction, particularly for automotive vehicles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a brake leverconstruction which will readily latch the lever in any adjusted positionand whereby the lever may be unlatched with minimum effort.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a brake leverconstruction which may be economically manufactured, easily applied andoperated, and eflicient and durable in use.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a brakelever construction, including a bracket and a lever pivoted to it, thelever and bracket supporting cooperating engageable members for latchingthe lever in desired position, one of which members comprises a pivotedratchet bar movable into and out of latching engagement with the otherof the members.

The above, other and further objects of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following description and accompanyingdrawing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an embodiment of the presentinvention and the views thereof are as follows:

Figure 1 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, ofa brake lever construction embodying principles of the presentinvention, and showing the lever in latched or adjusted position.

Figure 2 is a fragmental edge elevational view of the lower part of thelever of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view, partially in side elevation and partially insection, showing the present invention applied to a hollow tubular leverin which the unlatching is effected by a spoonbill actuating memberpivoted to the lever adjacent the grip portion of the same.

The drawing will now be explained.

The present application is a division of applicants copendingapplication, Serial No. 107,237, filed October 23, 1936.

A bracket, designated generally at A, is shown as having an upstandingpart I and a horizontally disposed flange 2, for securement to asuitable portion of an automotive vehicle chassis. It is to beunderstood that the bracket A may be of any suitable form and shape aslong as it is of suflicient extent to provide a part for the lever pivot3 and an upstanding bracket part 4.

A lever B, illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 as formed as a stamping with ahollow shank portion, and a hollow grip portion 5 with bifurcated legs26 and 21 is pivoted to the bracket A at 3. A brake rod 6 is pivoted atl to the lower end of the lever B as illustrated.

Pivoted to the upstanding portion 4 of the bracket A, is swingingratchet bar 8. The bar has teeth 9 formed on its upper margin, whichmargin is arcuate.

Fixed to the lever B is a dog or pawl 10 secured by rivets H or bywelding, and which dog or pawl has a point l2 constituting a tooth tomake latching engagement with any of the ratchet teeth 9 on the bar 8.

In order to maintain the ratchet bar 8 in position to be engaged by thetooth l2 of the pawl or dog ID, a spring I3 is interposed between thebracket A and the free end of the ratchet bar 8. The spring isillustrated as being substantially U-shaped in side elevation and issecured as by rivets I4 or the like to the bracket A and with a freeportion of the spring engaging against the free end of the ratchet barto urge it upwardly into position to be latched with the pawl or dog I0.

In order to unlatch the lever from the ratchet bar 8, an actuating rodI5 is arranged to work within the hollow shank and grip portions of thelever. The lower end of the actuating rod I5 is provided with a shoe l6positioned to bear against the crests of the ratchet teeth 9 of the bar.When the bar is depressed, that is, moved downwardly as observed inFigures 1 and 2, the ratchet bar is swung away from the pawl or dog Illand thus unlatched. The actuating rod I5 is of course held in projectedposition until the lever has been moved to release or other adjustedpositions in clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1.

The upper end of the actuating rod I5 is provided with a thumb button llwhich projects through the top l8 formed over the open end of the gripportion 5 of the lever. A spring l9 working between the button I1 andthe inturned end of a sleeve 20, held within the cup portion of thelever, tends normally to hold the actuating bar in retracted position,that is in the position of full lines of Figure 1.

To set the brakes, the grip portion 5 of the lever B is moved incounterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1, which movement may beaccomplished without depressing the button I! and the rod l5, as duringsuch movement the ratchet bar 8 will oscillate about its pivot 2i as thetooth I2 of the dog or pawl I0 moves along the ratchet teeth until thelever is in desired position, whereupon the tooth I2 of the dog or pawlengages one of the ratchet teeth and holds the lever in its thenadjusted position. The position of the spring I3 tends to urge theratchet bar into position to readily latch with the pawl or dog I0whenever the lever is moved.

To release the lever from brake position, the

button I7 is depress-ed, thus moving the rod I5 in a direction to movethe teeth 9 of the ratchet bar 8 out of the path of movement of thetooth I2 of the pawl or dog whereuponthe lever may be moved in clockwisedirection. As soon as thumb pressure is relieved from the button H, thespring I3 functions to move the ratchet bar into position to latch withthe pawl or dog ID on the lever B.

The lever illustrated in Figure 3 is, as far as the latching featuresare concerned, the same as heretofore described, the only differencebeing in the construction of the lever which lever C is formed as astamping with a. hollow shank portion and a hollow grip portion 22, theextremity of the latter to be enclosed by a suitable cap 23. A spoonbillactuating member, D, of stamped metal, is pivoted at 24 to the lever C,adjacent the grip portion 22, and to a portion of this actuating memberD the actuating rod I5 is suitably connected as at 25.

The present invention has been illustrated in connection with abrakelever of the regular type, that is, one which is pivoted below the floorboards of an automotive vehicle, with the lever extending upwardly withits grip portion in convenient position to be grasped by the operator ofthe vehicle. It is to be understood that the invention is susceptible ofuse with brake levers of the dash type, that is to say, levers pivotedbehind the instrument boards, to-hang, with the grip portions availablebelow the lower margins of the instrument-boards.

For the sake of convenience the part 4 of the bracket A has been hereindesignated as the .upstanding part. By this is meant such portion of thebracket as may be displaced with reference to the lever pivot 3 so as toafiord provision for pivotal mounting of the ratchet bar 8 to enable itsoperation in the manner described.

The invention has been described herein more or less precisely as todetails, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited thereby, as changes may be made in the arrangement andproportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. Brake lever construction including a bracket, a lever pivoted to saidbracket, a rockable ratchet bar pivoted to said bracket and havingratchet teeth along a margin, a pawl fixed to said lever in position toengage the said ratchet teeth, means for holding said ratchet baragainst said pawl in latched engagement, and means including a shoeworking against the ratchet teeth of said bar for moving the bar out oflatching position with respect to said pawl.

2. An automotive brake lever construction including a bracket attachableto the vehicle frame, a lever pivoted to said bracket, a pawl fixed tosaid lever, a rockable ratchet bar pivoted to said bracket and providedwith ratchet teeth arranged to be engaged by said pawl for latching thelever in adjusted position, a spring carried by said bracket and workingagainst said bar to normally maintain said bar and pawl in latchedengagement, an actuating rod movable with respect to said lever andcarrying a shoe bearing against the ratchet teeth of said bar andoperable to displace the bar from latching engagement with said pawl,and means adjacent the grip portion of the lever for manipulating saidshoe.

3. An automotive vehicle emergency brake lever construction including abracket, a lever pivoted to said bracket, a rockable ratchet pivoted tosaid bracket, a pawl fixed to said lever and adapted to make latchingengagement with said bar, spring means for normally maintaining said barand pawl in latched engagement, and manipulating means including a shoeengageable with push action against the teeth of said bar andmanipulative to disengage said bar from latched engagement with thepawl.

HERBERT S. JANDUS.

